OKOTOKS — The Foothills Falcons add a little extra to their lunch bucket when they step on the basketball court.
“One of our coaches (Jon Nibler) says we are a lunch-bucket team – if we’re not working hard it’s not going to work,” said Falcon small forward Liam Gunning after Foothills’ victory over the Immanuel Christian Eagles in the Falcons Classic on Feb. 15. “We always have to be the hardest working team on the court to be successful.”
Gunning was the Falcons’ MVP in the victory over Immanuel Christian.
He is that energy bar in the lunch bucket – kind of unnoticed when next to a sandwich or a piece of leftover chicken, but he adds a surprising boost.
Falcons head coach Amron Gwilliam said the 6-foot, 165-pound small forward’s effort goes unnoticed to the casual observer.
“If you look at the stat sheet, you aren’t going to see Liam as the type of kid who stands out,” Gwilliam said. “He doesn’t score a ton for us, but he’s a gritty defender, strong and he might be one of our best rebounders. He doesn’t always get the defensive rebound but he’s the guy who is keeping the other team’s best rebounder off the glass, so someone on our team can pick it up.”
Gunning had to suck it up in the Falcons’ biggest win of the year – an 83-82 win over the then seventh-ranked Father Lacombe Lasers earlier this month.
The Lasers top-scorer had lit up Foothills with 31 points in three quarters when a sick Gunning and Sam Simard were asked to defend the Father Lacombe sharpshooter.
“I don’t think I had even gone in at this point and in the fourth quarter the coaches said you need to go in their and defend against him,” Gunning said. “I went in there, made him draw a couple of fouls and he ended up scoring only two points in the fourth quarter and we won by one…
“I love defence. A steal or a stop and running down the court, is just one of the best feelings. Getting that stop, helping my teammates — it just feels good.”
Gunning got that work ethic playing hockey until he made the switch to basketball in Grade 8.
“Coaches always said: 'I don’t care if you are not getting your shots, I want you out there playing your hardest,'” Gunning said. “And when you get off, get ready in two minutes to give it your all.’”
He played hockey with current Okotoks Bow Mark Oilers Lucas Watkins, Sam Simard as well as Dru Krebs of the Medicine Hat Tigers. He credits his former head hockey head coach Greg Krebs in helping to install that work effort.
Gunning stopped playing hockey in Grade 8 to focus on hoops.
He is a starter on the Falcons after seeing three or four minutes per game in Grade 11, but was a changed man when he returned for his final high school season after hitting the gym at Motion Fitness and adding some muscle.
“We challenged Liam at the end of last year, to get bigger and stronger,” Gwilliam said. “He totally changed his physique. He showed up in the fall and it was like ‘Whoa, who is this guy?’”
Turns out a bench press and weights can help put pressure on the opposition.
“Oh, definitely, It has really helped my defence,” Gunning said with a laugh. “I used to be this string-bean and guys would go right by me.”
The Falcons won both their games in the Classic, which wasn’t as strong as previous years due to other teams' commitments.
They opened the tourney by downing the Brooks Buffaloes 81-63 on Valentine’s Day.
Regardless of the opponent, court time will help Foothills as they prepare for the 4A South Central Zones in March.
“We are trying to get in as many games as we can, making sure we are refining what we do,” Gwilliam said. “Making sure we are executing our offence and getting our defensive rotations down. We just wan to play.
“Overall, I am happy with the two victories.”
The Falcons won’t be taking much of a break for teachers convention. They were back at practice on Feb. 18 and they play in the Notre Dame Pride basketball tournament this weekend.
Foothills was No. 13 in the newest 4A rankings which were released last week. The Holy Trinity Academy Knights dropped from five to seventh.
